Copyright Resources

We recommend the following resources for faculty interested in issues surrounding educational use of copyrighted material.

Copyright Overviews for Higher Ed:

Copyright Management Center
Quick and clear guide, developed by Dr. Kenneth Crews, a copyright expert and professor of law.

Crash Course in Copyright
From the University of Texas system. Simple overview for higher education.

Copyright Information & Education Initiative
Another helpful summary, this time from the University of Minnesota Libraries.

Fair Use:

Fair Use Checklist (PDF, requires Adobe Reader) Simple tool to help you decide if Fair Use exceptions apply.

Guidelines for Classroom Copying Unofficial but widely-followed rules relating to in-class use or distribution of copied material. These guidelines are usually applied to Library Reserves situations as well.

The "Fair Use" Exception: Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.

Distance Learning & the TEACH Act:

CSUSB Office of Distributed Learning's Faculty Resources on Copyright.

Text of the TEACH Act: Section 110(2) of the U.S. Copyright Act.

The TEACH Act Toolkit: From North Carolina State University, tools to help instructors determine if their use of material in an online or distance course is covered by the TEACH Act.

Analysis of the TEACH Act by Dr. Kenneth Crews.
See also Dr. Crews' Fair Use Scenarios: Posting Materials in Online Courses

Library Reserves:

CSUSB Library Use Reserves and CSUSB Electronic Reserves policies and information.

Please note that the library does not procure copyright permissions for material placed on library reserve. Faculty are responsible for obtaining any needed permissions for copied items they place on reserve

Copyright law makes no specific mention of Library Reserves. Consider whether your copied Reserves material meets Fair Use requirements and adheres to the Guidelines for Classroom Copying. The Guidelines are not law, but are the basis for many library Reserves policies.

Getting Permissions:

Copyright Clearance Center
The CCC, a commercial service, helps users locate copyright holders, request permissions for use of copyrighted material, and handles payment of any required copyright fees.

In some cases, it may be more practical to write directly to the copyright holder (usually a publisher) when requesting copyright permissions. See IUPUI's Guide to Obtaining Permissions, which includes model permissions letters.

Primary Sources:

U.S. Copyright Act: Title 17 of the U.S. Code, complete text. (If you read nothing else, read Chapter 1.)

Circular 21: Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians Historical background on the legislative intent of the Copyright Act, for educators.

Ask a Question:

Copyright Advisory Network: From the American Library Association. Not legal advice, but a place to get intelligent opinions about any copyright question.

This page maintained by Stacy Magedanz
Last updated April 25, 2007